False Prophecy & Second Heaven Revelation

The devil uses false prophesy today as one of his strategies to accomplish his dark purposes. One of the types of false prophecy he uses is words of false judgment or condemnation. He does this against both believers and unbelievers. We already looked at how Satan uses this against unbelievers in the previous lesson. Now let's take a look at how the devil uses false judgment prophecy against born-again Christians.

False Words To Believers

I mentioned earlier that the devil is engaged in spiritual warfare against the Church. The kingdom of God is advancing and as a result, it is tearing down the devil's kingdom, and the devil is loosing ground. He doesn't like to loose territory. In addition to that problem, the devils also has a bit of a manpower problem--only 1/3 of the angels fell with Satan (inferred from Revelation 12:4). That means 2/3 of the angels still serve God, so the devil is greatly outnumbered just by angels along. But God does not limit his army to just His angels, God also uses us--His human servants. In fact, the Lord has given a great authority over the devil to each of us (Luke 10:19). That authority makes each and every believer dangerous to the devil, but the ones who he sees as most dangerous are those who understand the authority that Jesus has given them and who use it to do God's will, e.g., to advance God's kingdom.

Since God has given us authority over the devil, there is not much that the devil can do to resist us if we use it. So his strategy is to try and keep us from using it. One of his favorite techniques is to try and get us to disqualify ourselves so we won't step up to the battle. In short, an AWOL soldier (Absent WithOut Leave) is not much of a threat to the enemy, and the devils wants to make each of us go AWOL.

He does this by trying to get us to disqualify ourselves so that we won't engage him in battle. One of his favorite ways to get us to disqualify ourselves is by using lies and condemnation against us. In fact, he has developed multiple condemnation strategies, an dif one doesn't work, then he switches to another one. I would like to talk briefly about three of his condemnation strategies.

The first is a general rejection and condemnation strategy over a person, attacking them with spirits of rejection and making them so miserable about themselves that they cannot function effectively as a soldier in God's army. He wants to geet them self-focused, to put magnifying glass on their faults and to make them think that they are so messed up that God could never use them. His arsenal for this type of attack includes shame, rejection, condemnation, low self-esteem, alienation, isolation, etc.

A second strategy he uses is gossip and false accusations (a different type of condemnation) to take us out. That has happened to many who are active in kingdom leadership, countless pastors and lay leaders have been falsely accused, have had their reputations slandered, and some have even been unfairly removed from a ministry or kicked out of a church. Then the enemy sends demons to try to attempt snare them into bitterness, unforgiveness, hate and resentment. The devil knows that if we won't forgive those who wrong us, we are in active rebellion against God. He wants us to hold unforgiveness in our heart, because then we come under his authority instead of having authority over him (Matt 18:34-35). In short, the devil gets the believer to disqualify his/herself through the sin of unforgiveness.

The third strategy he uses to condemn and make us feel unworthy is false words of judgment or disqualification. This is where the devil, in the guise of a prophetic word, delivers a message that God is displeased or upset or angry with someone who God is not really upset with. He does this to someone who has a heart after God and who is actively seeking to serve and obey God. He does this to alienate them from God, to make them think that God is upset with them, to cause them to loose hope.

The condemnation that the devil uses is usually vague rather than specific. He uses messages that are so broad-sweeping that the supposed offense seems un-fixable. He wants you to think that there is no practical way to resolve this and be get right with God. He will give a message that you are not OK instead of identifying a specific sin that you are engaging in and need to repent of. The devil will falsely condemn you for abstract things like "resisting" God or not being yielded to His Spirit, being proud or arrogant, having evil motivations, being "soulish" etc.

The devil is clever, so he usually tries to choose an accusations that lightly touches on some legitimate area of struggle. For instance, if you have a personality flaw, then he bends it out of proportion and condemns you for it. Or perhaps a person struggles with a specific sin from time to time. They fall into that sin, and then they repent and are forgiven. God wants to strengthen them and give them complete victory over this area of sin in their life. But the devil comes along with a false judgment prophecy. He says that God is against this person because they have evil motivations or an impure heart. The person remembers their recent struggle with that particular sin and assumes that is what God is talking about. They feel condemned because the devil is trying to destroy the forgiving and restoring power of the blood of Jesus.

The word will usually tell a person that God is going to punish them, that they have been disqualified from the call on their life, etc. This is a strategy the devil uses to get someone to feel so condemned that they disqualify themselves, that they stop trying. This is one of the ways that the enemy attempts to keep someone from walking in their destiny and accomplishing God's will in their lives.

What does the bible say about this? Romans 8:1-2 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."

That makes it pretty clear, doesn't it? God never condemns us. He may convict us of a particular sin, with the goal or helping us stop doing it and being restored back to right relationship with Him. But God's conviction will always be specific, it will always be to draw us back to Him and to restore our relationship and to give life.

Look at what God says in Romans 8:33-35,38

33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (New King James Version).

Legitimate Words Of Rebuke/Correction

Not all judgment words come from the devil. Some do legitimately come from God. We need to look at a few from the bible to see the difference between the enemy's false condemnation and God's true correction.

Jesus did give corrective words to a few churches in the book of Revelation. Let's look at Revelation 2:13-17 (church in Pergamos):

13 "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.'"

First, God makes it clear that it is possible to please Him, and He tells them what they are doing that is pleasing to Him (verse 13). Then He gives specific things that are displeasing to Him and tells them what response He wants them to take to fix it (verses 14-16). After that, God shows them the hope of obeying Him and the reward that comes with it (verse 17). Yes, there is correction in this word, and a threat of judgment "Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them..." But there is also hope because there is a promise of restoration if they obey. And the Lord is very specific about what behaviors He wants changed, so they have something concrete and do-able to work on.

Let's look at another example in Revelation 3:14-21, the lukewarm church:

14 ...These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 'I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'-- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."

Again, God states plainly what the problem is, that they are not passionate for or against Him, but complacent and apathetic in their relationship with God. God tells them that this is unacceptable, that they need to be alive and passionate for Him, (to love him with all their heart and all their soul and all their mind as per Matthew 22:37). God identifies their big blind spot in verse 17, telling them that they think they are in great shape spiritually when they are really in terrible shape. Then He gives them an action plan to fix the problem in verse 18 (e.g., submit to His refiner's fire and be purified). He goes on to explain His motivation for correcting them in verse 19, that He (like any loving father) spanks His kids when they need it. He gives an invitation to restoration and intimacy with Him in verse 20, and finally a promise of reward to those who do what He asks in verse 21.

Even in God's correction, we find a lot of His love and mercy and restoration. That is pretty typical of how the Lord corrects His own when they need it.